Author: Christophe Theron
Date: 10:31:09 08/05/03
Go up one level in this thread
On August 04, 2003 at 23:33:17, Brian Thomas wrote:
>
>>Just look at the history of the companies behind the OSes. Look at how Microsoft
>>forces everybody to upgrade by producing incompatibilities in their own line of
>>Windows OSes.
>
>This is exaggerated. In general, compatibility is not an issue; when you
>consider how far computers have evolved in the last 10 years, the fact that I
>can still run some apps is great.
This is maybe exaggerated but it is reality.
>I don't see MS "forcing" you to do anything. I hate to say it, but at some
>point legacy code has to be abandoned, which is why you don't see
>serial/parallel ports on some new machines.
Legacy like DOS is abandonned, and to keep running DOS applications the best
choice might be to run them under Linux in the near future.
Actually I have prepared myself to MS abandonning Win32 and I am now running
Windows under Linux for the more and more seldom cases when I need to run
Windows software.
>The biggest problem facing Windows is that it was built on DOS, and to this day
>maintains some of that code. It has broken away from most of that with the
>latest kernel.
>
>>On the other hand just look at the efforts PalmSource is making in retaining as
>>much compatibility as possible so programs written for PalmOS years ago (and
>>still in use) keep working in their next version of PalmOS, while building huge
>>evolutions in the OS itself (for example by moving to another processor
>>architecture!!!).
>>
>>The cherry on the cake is that they go as far as contacting the developpers and
>>telling them how to achieve ascending compatiblity.
>
>I agree, that is outstanding -- and I don't say that sarcastically. But Palm
>and Windows is not comparable (although Palm to Windows CE/Mobile is).
I was comparing PalmOS and WindowsCE (=PocketPC) actually. The history of the PC
version of Windows is in my opinion a strong indication of the business
practices of the maker of this software and these practices are likely to be
reproduced in the history of WindowsCE.
I have been surprised to learn that many softwares designed for PocketPC 2002
simply did not work anymore under PocketPC 2003, but I guess I shouldn't have
been surprised.
To be really fair it is true that a class of utilities called "hacks" under
PalmOS are now incompatible with newer versions of PalmOS. However Palm had
warned a long time ago about these incompatibilities and has provided new APIs
in order to let developpers rewrite these utilities in a more compatible way.
It is true that legacy has to be abandonned sometimes, but everything is in the
way you do it.
>Some
>compatiblity issues are preventable with proper coding practices, some are
>preventable with better versioning control (IE "dll hell").
>
>>BTW I'm curious to learn for what purposes PocketPC might be "far superior".
>
>I doubt your sincerity in this, and I made it clear that my choice of OS is MY
>choice, and may not be right for everyone. But since you are so curious (and
>I'm sure some of this is possible with Palms as well): seamless integration
>with multiple Exchange servers, Internet Explorer that is compatibile with most
>xhtml and other specs, an (obviously) scaled down SQL server/and .NET compact
>framework. The IE/Database functions are very important to me. Generally, a
>larger collection of software that interests me. As a VB/C# web developer, my
>work more easily translates on this platform. Very easy to move data from say a
>microdrive in my laptop to my PDA. Because it is MS (love or hate 'em, your
>choice), it more likely will support my development goals.
>
>Brian
I was sincere and I wanted to know if there was something I was not aware of
concerning PocketPC.
Basically you are saying that you prefer PocketPC because of some developpement
tools produced by MS and the possibility that they will work better with other
MS software running on PC (or that they simply do not exist in their exact "MS
compatible" form on PalmOS).
That's a developper experience, not a user's experience.
The user's experience so far is that PalmOS software is much more compatible
with Word and Excel and other Office modules than PocketPC is, which I find
amusing.
Christophe
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